About Berkley

Philosophy

The Edgar L. and Rheta A. Berkley Child and Family Development Center opened its doors to the children of Kansas City in June 1993 as a university learning laboratory offering full-day programming for children from birth to five years old.

Vision

• To be a state-of-the-art early childhood program and learning laboratory to serve as a resource for UMKC employees, students and the Greater Kansas City community.

Mission

• Serve as a learning laboratory dedicated to reflecting state-of-the-art practices in working with children and families.
• Serve as a resource to others by enrolling children of UMKC employees, students and the Greater Kansas City community.
• Create an environment of cooperation and collaboration to enhance the process of learning, working together and action research. The teachers learn the needs of individual children and plan for the successful fulfillment of those needs.
• Develop strong relationships among children, families, teachers and their environment.
• Create opportunities for exploration, interaction and experimentation with peers and adults.

Fundamentals of Berkley's Approach

• Children are capable and powerful human beings. 
• Children have the ability to research and question in order to gain further understanding of those things they desire to know more about. 
• Berkley is a place where children, families and teachers grow and develop together.

The center is firmly embedded in constructivism; the theoretical view that learners construct knowledge through interactions with the physical and social environments.

Our philosophy is heavily influenced by educational theorists, such as Dewey, Piaget, Vygotsky and Erikson. As these theorists suggest, children learn through their individual experiences with the world. 

When children build upon experiences, they "construct" knowledge by building new experiences and connecting them to prior knowledge. Young children are active and curious participants in the construction of their knowledge. Teachers challenge children to make predictions, to explore, to discover, to question, to represent and to reorganize their ways of thinking.

Understanding that the young child is a member of his/her family, it is our goal to collaborate with family members. Building an equal relationship between family, child and teacher is a cornerstone of our philosophy.

We believe the positive development of self-image plays a vital role in both children’s learning and healthy development. Teachers provide opportunities for learning in an environment of trusting and respectful relationships. We value the unique qualities of each child and adult and respect differences. We strive to create an environment of cooperation and collaboration to enhance the process of learning and working together. The teachers learn the needs of individual children and plan for the successful fulfillment of those needs.